Title: The Secrets Of Love Story Bridge
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: April 28, 2020
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: A single father gets an unexpected second chance at love in the heartwarming new novel from the author of The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
It’s summer in the city and passions are soaring along with the temperature—for everyone but Mitchell Fisher, who hates all things romance. He relishes his job cutting off the padlocks that couples fasten to the famous “love story” bridge. Only his young daughter, Poppy, knows that behind his prickly veneer, Mitchell still grieves the loss of her mother.
Then one hot day, everything changes when Mitchell courageously rescues a woman who falls from the bridge into the river. He’s surprised to feel an unexpected connection to her, but she disappears before he can ask her name. Desperate to find out her identity, Mitchell is shocked to learn she’s been missing for almost a year. He teams up with her spirited sister, Liza, on a quest to find her again. However, she’s left only one clue behind—a message on the padlock she hung on the bridge.
Brimming with Phaedra Patrick’s signature charm and a sparkling cast of characters, The Secrets of Love Story Bridge follows one man’s journey to unlock his heart and discover new beginnings in the unlikeliest places.
Review: When I started this book, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it much, considering the main character is a single dad and a rather curmudgeonly one, at that. Even when Mitchell saves the life of the young woman on the bridge, his personality didn't improve much.
However when his daughter's music teacher happens to be the woman's sister, he really gets wrapped up in trying to find out more of the mysterious woman in yellow, also known as Yvette.
This is where the story starts taking off, because the somewhat cynical Mitchell, who was overworked and very regimented starts to get his world shaken up by Liza and her family. The quest to find out where Yvette is, changes his life in so many ways, and its really easy to see that these changes are for the better. Mitchell becomes more human and more open to romance.
When I first started this book, I thought this book was going to be a romance novel or something a little bit in the hearts and flowers vein, but it was more than that. It was the mystery of Yvette and the secrets that she kept. It was the bridge with all the locks and their message of love. It was the letters, written to Mitchell sharing their stories.
I loved seeing Mitchell change as the book progresses. I loved learning about his relationship with his partner Anita, who was killed in an accident several years before.
The real star of this book is Poppy, his daughter. It really is a great thing when a child is a real character in a book and not just a plot device to move things along in the story. Poppy is just wonderfully refreshing and a bright child. Yes, she helped move the story along but she helped her dad grow as a person and maybe she even helped him see his feelings were growing when it came to Liza.
This was really a delightful read.
Rating: 5 flowers
